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The 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference Basketball Tournament will be held at Washington, D.C.’s Verizon Center, ACC commissioner John Swofford announced Wednesday.

“We are excited to bring the ACC Tournament back to the nation’s capital in 2016,” Swofford said. “Verizon Center is a tremendous showcase for our event, and the Washington, D.C. area is an appealing tourist destination for our member institutions, as well as the alumni and fans of our teams. We received a lot of positive feedback after our 2005 Tournament in Washington, and we look forward to duplicating that success in 2016.”

The 20,000-seat Verizon Center previously hosted the 2005 ACC Tournament. The Washington metropolitan area also welcomed the ACC in 1976, 1981 and 1987, when the tournament was held at the Capital Centre in Landover, Md. The 14-game 2016 tournament will open Wednesday, March 9 and continue through Sunday, March 13.

“Verizon Center is thrilled to once again host the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Washington D.C.,” said David Touhey, Verizon Center SVP & General Manager. “The nation’s capital serves as the perfect site for the championship tournament of such a prestigious conference. We thank the ACC for selecting us and look forward to hosting another successful tournament in March 2016.”

Located in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C., Verizon Center serves as home to the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the NHL’s Washington Capitals, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics and the NCAA’s Georgetown Hoyas men’s basketball team.

The arena has hosted a multitude of high-profile events in its history, ranging from the 1998 Stanley Cup Final to the NBA (2001) and WNBA (2002, 2007) All-Star games to the 2003 World Figure Skating Championship, the 2005 ACC Tournament, the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament (1998, 2002, 2008) as well as the second and third rounds (2011), the Washington Regional Round (2006, 2013) and the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four men’s hockey championship.

Verizon Center also hosts a variety of concerts and family shows ranging from all-time greats to current-day chart-topping artists. In the 15 year history of the arena some of the artists who have mastered the stage include: U2, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Coldplay, The Three Tenors, Barbra Streisand, Bon Jovi, Prince, Beyonce, the Dalai Lama, Tina Turner, Keith Urban, Disney on Ice and WWE.

Amenities within the arena include 106 luxury suites, a high-definition center-hung scoreboard, an indoor basketball practice facility and 10 dressing rooms. The arena offers a variety of concession stands and restaurants, including kosher, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

The ACC Tournament has been held in seven different cities and 11 venues since the inaugural event in March of 1954. The Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum is set to serve as host in 2014 and 2015.

Ken D.Nov 14, 2013

Or how about going more radical. Let the top four teams host the first two rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then the winners go to a Final Four on Saturday and Sunday.

Ken D.Nov 14, 2013

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Hey, if we aren't going to have it in Greensboro with the tradition and just watch it on TV and we now have 15 members, why have all of them play? Seriously, why give the bottom feeders a chance to win the tourny and get an NCAA bid that they don't deserve. Just make it an 8 or even 4 team tourny and let the rest stay at home. This is the next iteration.

— Posted by jmcdow2792

I would be OK with an 8 team tournament. There aren't many people watching the first round games as it is.

jmcdow2792Nov 14, 2013

Hey, if we aren't going to have it in Greensboro with the tradition and just watch it on TV and we now have 15 members, why have all of them play? Seriously, why give the bottom feeders a chance to win the tourny and get an NCAA bid that they don't deserve. Just make it an 8 or even 4 team tourny and let the rest stay at home. This is the next iteration.

Ken D.Nov 14, 2013

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It belongs in GREENSBORO STUPID!!!! John-wher did your brain go???

Roots-history-tradition-DC brings none of that to the table. The ACC started this thing called post season conference tournaments to showcase ACC talent. It has become a real cash cow for the ACC.

Yet, you want to move it??? POOR DECISION!!

— Posted by baldchip

The ACC didn't start their tournament to showcase ACC talent. They did it because they had an intimate conference of 8 schools in close geographic proximity which was ideally suited for a three day tournament for the benefit of fat cat donors.

In the early days, everybody could drive to the tournament. And because tickets were scarce, schools could used them as leverage to extract large donations to their booster clubs - at the time a major source of revenue for the schools. Those days are long gone. The schools get more revenue from this event in the form of TV revenue. Other than the Saturday and Sunday games, which involve only four of the 15 league members, attendance is spotty at best.

When the tourney started, there were 4 NC schools, 2 SC schools, and 1 each from Virginia and Maryland. Greensboro made perfect sense. Today, 7 of the 15 league schools are north of NC, and 4 are south. If DC helps expose the league to a talent rich area, why not go there? It's now a made for TV event anyway.

dmccallNov 14, 2013

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^Amen. Looks like another move by the Swoff to twist that knife just another few times in Maryland's back. Not that I don't approve...

— Posted by 903 Hook em banned

Seems pretty petty.

baldchipNov 14, 2013

It belongs in GREENSBORO STUPID!!!! John-wher did your brain go???

Roots-history-tradition-DC brings none of that to the table. The ACC started this thing called post season conference tournaments to showcase ACC talent. It has become a real cash cow for the ACC.

Yet, you want to move it??? POOR DECISION!!

WheelmanNov 14, 2013

How many of those who are complaining have ever been to the tournament? My guess would be very few. I haven't and never will. Like most sports, I prefer to watch it on TV. I can see more of what's going on, get something to eat when I want and go to the bathroom during commercial breaks. On top of that, I don't have to listen to some loudmouth behind me scream at the officials.

So hold it wherever the conference and the schools will get the most benefit.

BISHOP5Nov 14, 2013

Everything else is jacked up in DC, might as well add the ACCT.

CombatMedNov 14, 2013

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Unbelievable, I travel to DC often for work, the hotels are very expensive and the traffic is horrible. My friends and I will no longer be going b/c it will cost a fortune now in DC. Good luck filling the seats and I imagine the cost of the seats will double now. Very good plan, LOL.

— Posted by oscarb

It's one year, 2016. And I don't think an NC State fan would have a need to stick around past Thursday anyway.

SchwoogieNov 13, 2013

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Lat time it was up there, my brother-in-law saw someone get shot on the street near the arena. Real great choice!